Creating Affirming Environments

In my family child care home, the wall would be painted in different pastel colors. I chose pastel colors because they have a tendency to be bright, engaging, yet comforting. On the walls, I would have different pictures of families and children of different cultures, classes, and countries. This was chosen because it will promote inclusion, allow all children of different backgrounds to feel comfortable, and act as a learning tool. This idea was influenced by the information contained in the book.  Additionally, a large bulletin board would be posted on the wall for the children to bring in pictures of their families, drawings they have made, and fun artifacts of their family culture. This would also promote inclusion, allow children to feel comfortable, and be used as a learning tool. This idea was also influenced by the information contained in the book.

My family child care home would contain seating in a circle for formal learning.  This seating format was selected because it promotes inclusion, engages children, and allows all of them to function as a group. This idea was influenced from previous experiences as well as the book. Within the learning environment, the children will have access to dolls of different ethnicities; coloring books containing children of all backgrounds, and different color crayons. In addition to promoting equity and equality, these items were selected to promote active play, creativity, and could be used as a learning tool. This idea was influenced by the video viewed this week. Some additional items will be contained within the learning environment. These items will include with customized puzzles, children books that promote morality and diversity, and multi-cultural Lego sets. These items will be used as a learning tool, promote active play, facilitate conversations, and allow children to share information about themselves and their family. This idea was influenced from the information contained in the book.  Finally, a cage with different colored hamsters will be located in the learning environment. In addition to teaching children responsibility, the hamsters would demonstrate how people or creatures of different color can live and play together. This idea was influenced from previous experiences, the book, and the video.

Some final items that will be present within the family child care home would be a list of rules, calendars containing holidays from different religions and cultures, song books, and videos that promote diversity. These items were selected as a way to engage children, learn about diversity and inclusion, and learn to follow and embrace the rules of the learning environment. This idea was influenced by the book as well as the video.